breaking news

So Brian Burke isn’t ready to annoint anyone as the 21st captain for the Toronto Maple Leafs. I think it’s hilarious that people thought that Burke held on to Tomas Kaberle for that specific reason. Kaberle is a very good puck moving defencemen. By all accounts he has the personality of a shoe. Does that make him a bad teammeate? No. Does that make him a bad person? No. But in Burke’s world the captain is going to be a person with a BIG presence. Tomas Kaberle is not that. The reality is, there is no one close on the Maple Leafs roster by the Burke standards. The question is, how the hell is he going to get the right person. I suspect that many are going to start screaming Luke Schenn. I know Burke says it all the time, but man, he’s just a kid. Talk about unfair expectations? More than that, Schenn didn’t have a a captain this year. The closest thing he had was Brad May. Schenn isn’t going to have a captain this year either. So, how the hell is Luke Schenn going to learn how to be a captain without learning from one. I know it isn’t rocket science, but given the enormously high standards Burke is setting for this captain, how the hell can you give it to a kid who has yet to play in the league with a captain?

In the grand scheme of things I am not entirely sure it matters right now. Burke’s captain happens to wear a suit and tie for every game. There is no question that when the game starts Ron Wilson is the boss. While Kaberle may wear the A, he certainly isn’t the voice of the room. Blake? I don’t think so. One of the new guys? Certainly a possibility. Wayne Primeau could fit the bill as could Beauchemin. Komisarek certainly has leadership reputation as well. On the Maple Leafs website, Tomas Kaberle is the only player listed as an “A”. Does that mean the rest of the vets are vying for the honor? (that was a rhetorical question).

It sounds like training camp is going to be very interesting this year. Lots of question marks and lots of positions up for grabs. Not just roster spots but pecking order too.

Of course it does beg the obvious question, who is the most famous captain of all time:

Komisarek if anyone, I think. Just watching the guy do interviews, it’s clear he knows how to handle the media and deflect pressure from teammates. Seems like a good team guy as well. Sure, he’s new, but I suspect he’ll fit right in by the end of training camp.